This invention is directed to a construction toy which utilizes hollow tubular elements which are attachable to hollow members. The tabular elements have skirts on their ends which are connectable to one another or are connectable to the hollow members.
A variety of construction toys have fascinated endless numbers of children throughout the years. One of the more popular construction toys utilized wooden blocks having holes therein which were connected to wooden dowels by insertion of the dowels in the holes. This type of toy, while very utilitarian and having an exceedingly high play value, also had an inherent safety problem because it required the child to play with dowels of approximately quarter inch diameter, which unfortunately, could be stuck into eyes, ears and the like, causing physical harm.
Another very popular construction type toy utilized small metal girder-like members which were connected together using bolts and nuts. While this toy was very entertaining for the older child, because it required certain physical dexterity to connect the girders utilizing the bolts and nuts, the toy was not suitable for the smaller child who lacked the physical dexterity to make the proper attachment. This type of toy also had a safety disadvantage in that small children have an inherent desire to put small objects in their mouth, which could be swallowed or the like.
Other construction toys have included building blocks and the like which could be made into houses and other structures for the older style wooden blocks, and in all kinds of sophisticated structures for the modern Lego.TM.blocks. In playing with these blocks however, the child is limited with regard to the spatial conformations of the structures built because the blocks are inflexible and must inevitably be attached one to the other to construct the structure.
With the exception of the construction toy noted which utilized metal girders, the materials of the prior known construction toys were essentially inflexible, and as such, the child could not utilize his imagination to make all sorts of weird shapes and the like which are extremely fascinating to the child, and thus provide him with hours of entertainment. While the above noted metallic girders could be bent, this in fact was detrimental to the parts of this type of toy in that upon repeated flexing at a bend, the metal girders conceivably could snap. Furthermore, once the girder was bent, it was seemingly impossible for the child to straighten it out to its prior shape, and thus any bending of the girders was detrimental to the toy.
Recently, certain figure toys have been introduced which utilize corrugated plastic tubing which can be bent to assume different shapes. This same type of plastic tubing has found its way into other structures, such as drinking straws and the like. Unfortunately, in these toys, the design and engineering of the the flexible tubing was such that there was little flexibility with regard to attachment of the flexible tubing to other components and the child as such was somewhat limited with regard to the structures he could make, these essentially mimicking predetermined structures provided for by the manufacturer.
In view of the above, it is considered that there exits a need for new and improved construction toys which are both safe to use by young and old children alike, yet are also fascinating and entertaining to young and old children. Further, it is considered that there exists a need for new and improved construction toys which can be provided with a variety of interchangeable parts that allow the child to be very creative with regard to the types of structures which the child can assemble, and further it is considered that there exists a need for new and improved construction toys which utilize specific elements therein which verge into areas not previously incorporated into prior construction toys, such as musical enjoyment and the like.